The Rightful Heir
by Regnig-oftheblackforest
Summary: Lauren knows she is different from everyone else, and has the feeling that her mother is trying to hide something from her. As she tries to uncover the secrets of her true identity, she discovers a secret from her mother's past...
1. The Return

A/N: I promised myself that I wasn't going to start any new projects until I was finished with Haunted. But I've hit a minor rut on Haunted, so I'm breaking my promise. Aren't I the worst?

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Sarah Kingston sat at her vanity, running a comb through her damp hair. It was nearly one in the morning, but she had been unable to sleep. She had hoped that a nice warm shower might make her tired, but she was still wide awake. Annoying, but understandable. It was only natural that her nerves would be so frazzled. After all, your daughter's sixteenth birthday was a big deal. And apparently, now days it required expensive, stressful parties for all of said daughter's friends and family. Her beautiful, sweet, ever so slightly spoiled daughter.

The night was deathly silent, not even a cricket chirped outside. It was a moonless night, the only light came from the street lamp on the corner. She loved the silence, it was rare for her to enjoy it. Teenagers talked to much, and twelve year old boys... well boys of any age were just too hyper and noisy.

A cool breeze blew through her open window, sending a chill down her damp body, only wrapped in a towel. She reached behind her, and pulled her fluffy white robe around herself. She tied the sash, and pulled it down in the back.

"Now, now Sarah. No need to get all gussied up for me," a cold, yet amused voice said from behind her. She looked up into the mirror, and saw standing on her balcony, the figure of her nightmares for the last twenty five years. His wild blond hair, and shimmering cape were blowing in the breeze. His handsome face, unchanged after all these years, broke into a chilling smile at her surprise.

She got to her feet, and turned to face him. Her hands clenched into fists. "You! What the hell are you doing here?"

"After all these years, this is how you greet an old friend? I'm hurt, Sarah. I'd have thought you'd have learned manners by now," he sneered, cocking his head to the side, regarding the woman before him.

"Why are you here?" she demanded, taking a fighting stance.

"I have come to offer my services to you, dear one."

"Services? What, do you have another crystal containing my 'dreams'? Keep it, I have everything I could ever want right here!"

He laughed, and stepped into her room. She held her ground, scowling at the intruder. "Still selfish as always. You think everything is about you. The offer I have concerns young Lauren."

"You stay the hell away from my daughter, you evil bastard!"

"Sarah, this matter is most serious. I've been keeping a close eye on you and your family, Sarah. And from what I've seen, Lauren is a... most gifted child."

"What are you going on about?" she snarled. He smiled patiently at her.

"Don't pretend that you haven't noticed, lovely. Your daughter exhibits a great deal of magical ability. Abilities that will only grow stronger, now that she's sixteen."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Goblin King. There's nothing remotely magical about Lauren. Except her musical abilities. That's pretty magical, I have no idea where she got that from. But other than that, my daughter is completely normal."

"Don't deny it, Sarah. Her powers are great, but she needs to learn to control them. I can help her do that. I only want to help dear little Lauren."

"Lauren doesn't need any help from the likes of you," she said, crossing her arms stubbornly across her chest.

"Sarah, she needs my help. If she doesn't learn to control her powers, she could end up destroying everything in your world! Uncontrolled magic is very dangerous, Sarah. Please, let me help her!"

"Get out of my house, and stay away from my children! The last thing my children need in their lives is the likes of you," she hissed, pointing out the window. He sighed, and turned around.

"Your daughter is very beautiful Sarah. Where on earth did she get that lovely golden hair, and those enchanting blue eyes? Your husband had dark hair like yourself, and your son has your hair and eyes. Where did you get a blonde child? Scorned lover, perhaps?"

"I don't see what concern it is of yours. Now get out!" she screeched. He shrugged, transformed into his owl form, and flew out the window. Sarah sighed in relief, and shut her window. She was very shaken by all this. Why had he turned up now, after all these years?

He had spoken the truth. Her daughter did seem to cause some pretty strange things to happen. But that had to be coincidence. Or else he was causing it, trying to get back into her life again. He _had_ admitted that he had been watching them.

She sat on her bed, and flipped off the bedroom light. The room was plunged into darkness, and she stretched out on her bed. She had to try to get some sleep. Maybe she would wake up in the morning, and find that this was all just a bad dream...

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A/N: This story is a new genre for me. I hope I can write a more lighthearted story.

For those of you following Haunted or Lurking in the Shadows, don't worry, I have every intention of continuing them as well. I can multi-task! Plus, Haunted is almost done anyway.

Review, please.


	2. The Party

A/N: Wow, I'm finally getting around to updating this! I kick myself everyday for neglecting my stories, so I'm hoping to be updating them much more frequently.

**_The Rightful Heir_**

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Lauren stood in front of her mirror, inspecting herself with great scrutiny. She was clad in a brand new dress, the same shade of icy blue as her eyes. It clung to her slightly curvy body perfectly, and showed off her long, pale limbs. Her long blonde hair was pinned up in a messy bun atop her head. She was satisfied with how she looked, but she couldn't tear herself away from her reflection. She could hear the party below in full swing, but she couldn't go down just yet. There was something... different about herself, just what she wasn't sure. It was an odd feeling that had welled up in her overnight. Whatever it was, she didn't much like it.

A knock on her bedroom door brought her out of her daze. "Come in," she said, plopping down into a chair. The door opened, and her twelve year old brother Noah poked his shaggy dark head in. His green eyes were hard, and he looked annoyed.

"Mom says if you don't come downstairs right now, she's going to tell all the guests to go home," he said.

Lauren sighed, but got to her feet. "All right, all right, I'm coming," she said. Noah's head disappeared, and she could hear him running down the stairs. She spared herself one more glance in the mirror before following him.

At the bottom of the stairs, she was grabbed by her best friend Allison. "Lor, this greatest party ever!" she squealed. Lauren nodded as she looked around at the crowded living room.

"Yeah, Mom really out did herself."

"Well, come on. Let's go say hello. There's someone here who's dying to see you!" Allison said, seizing Lauren's wrist, and dragging her through the house, and out onto the patio. The DJ was set up out there, and several of her classmates were dancing by the pool. Allison pulled her along towards the speakers, where a good looking red headed boy stood, obviously waiting for someone.

"Hey Nick! Here's the birthday girl," Allison squealed, shoving Lauren towards him. He smiled, and Lauren blushed. He stepped towards her, running a hand through his hair. "I'll just leave you two alone," Allison said, side stepping away.

"Hi Nick," Lauren said. "I'm glad you could make it."

"Yeah, wouldn't have missed it," he said, looking away. Ages seemed to pass as the two stood in awkward silence. Lauren couldn't help but feel annoyed at her best friend for setting up this uncomfortable moment. She liked Nick, and she could tell that he liked her, but there was never any spark between them. It felt... just... empty.

The song changed from an upbeat, techno song to a soft love tune. Suspisious, Lauren looked at the DJ stand. Sure enough, Allison stood there, grinning and giving her a thumbs up. Lauren stifled a groan.

"Do you want to dance?" Nick asked. She nodded, and allowed him to pull her into a sloppy dance position. They stood there, revolving slowly, the awkward silence still lingering. She prayed for a distraction, something to get her out of this moment.

"May I cut in?" a strange voice said from behind her. She smiled, and thanked every god she could think of. She turned around to see her angel of mercy. She was surprised to see that it wasn't one of the boys from school like she thought it would be. Instead, it was a much older gentleman, roughly her mother's age. He was tall, with striking mismatched eyes, and long blonde hair that was pulled into a ponytail. She nervously took the strangers hand. Nick was standing there staring at the two. Lauren noticed her friend Dana standing by the screen door. She knew that Dana had a huge crush on Nick, so she grinned and said to him, "Why not see if Dana wants to dance? She's standing over there." He nodded and walked away.

Lauren stared up at the stranger who held her in his arms. There was something so familiar about him. His smile, his eyes, his face, she recognized it all from somewhere. "Have we met before, sir?" she asked.

"No, but I've heard a lot about you." he said. Lauren liked his voice, soft, yet sharp. Clipped, and carrying a slight accent. "I'm an old friend of your mother's."

"Oh. Well it's very nice to meet you Mr..."

"King."

"Mr. King," she said with a nod. The song ended, and he drew away from her. "Happy birthday, Lauren," he said, reaching into his pocket, and drawing out a small package. She took it, and turned to take it inside, When a camera flash blinded her.

"Happy birthday!" a bright, cheerful voice said.

"Grandma Karen!" she groaned. She turned around to thank the stranger, but he was gone. She searched the crowd, but there was no sign of him. He had vanished. She walked inside, and tossed the small gift onto the table with the rest of them, and went to find her friends again.

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A/N: DUH DUH DUH! The plot thickens. What does our beloved Goblin King want with Lauren? What is his gift?

Do you want to know? Do you really want to know? Then just leave a quick review...


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